SafeSport Launches First National Survey of Coaches
The U.S. Center for SafeSport on Monday launched a first-of-its-kind survey of coaches to share experiences about safety in sport.
The National Coaches Survey: Building Safer Sports Together has been created to solicit information from coaches on abuse, misconduct and other trends. The survey is anonymous and is open from Oct. 20-Nov. 12. SafeSport will release the results ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
“If you’ve ever had a truly great coach in your life then you know: they don’t just change the game, they change you,” Paralympian April Holmes, interim Chief Executive Office of the Center for SafeSport, said in a press release. “Coaches are an indispensable part of a safe sport ecosystem. The better we understand the joys and challenges that coaches experience, the better we can support them.”
The survey itself rose from feedback from coaches at community engagement events over the summer. The findings will be used to cull, “a more comprehensive understanding of safety and well-being from grassroots to elite levels of sport.” A memo detailing those findings is available here.
A list of FAQs sent out with the survey, which can be accessed here:
- Who should take the survey? Anyone 18 or older who has served in the role of coach, assistant coach, instructor or similar in the United States in the last 5 years is encouraged to take the survey. Coaches can be from any sport, and can have coached any age at any level.
- What types of questions will the survey ask? Survey topics include abuse and misconduct in sport as well as coach satisfaction, burnout, norms, and behaviors. There will be optional spaces for survey takers to provide written answers and more detailed feedback.
- When is the survey open? When will you share the findings? The survey will be open from October 20 through November 12. The survey is anonymous, and data will be aggregated. A survey report with results and findings will be released in early 2026.
- Where do I go to take the survey? You can access the survey here.
- How long is the survey? The survey is estimated to take 20 minutes to complete.
- Why should I take the survey? The survey is an opportunity for every coach and instructor to ensure their voice is heard and their sport is represented. By taking the survey, coaches will contribute to a better understanding of their specific experiences and inform important conversations around safety and well-being in sports. The more we know, the better the Center can support coaches and enhance safe sport environments.
More resources are available at the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s website.
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with U.S. Center for SafeSport. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
